Musakhan Rolls are quite easily one of my favourite Palestinian dishes to make. They're made with shredded chicken, caramelized onions, sumac and some traditional spices. Serve them with a salad (check out this Fattoush recipe) or soup and it's the perfect summer meal! The magic behind this dish is the sweetness of the slowly caramelized onions, coupled with the tanginess of the sumac. It's a match made in heaven.

These Musakhan rolls are a spin on the authentic Palestinian version, which is typically made as a layered dish and using traditional taboon bread. But since I normally have Pita bread in my home, I often make it using that and it turns out great. Tortillas would also work really well. The best part about this dish is the ability to use what you have on hand. You can use leftover rotisserie chicken or boil your own chicken. I often boil the chicken then use the broth to make a soup on the side. Yum! Another tip is that you can make the filling a day or two in advance, so you only have to assemble the pita rolls and bake for a few minutes before serving.
How to adjust Musakhan Rolls
- Use whatever bread you have on hand for this recipe, such as pita bread, toritllas, naan bread or Greek pita.
- If the bread of your choice is too thick to roll, you can simply late it flat and add the chicken mixture on top like a flatbread
- For an even faster preparation, you can use leftover rotisserie chicken
- Adjust the amount of sumac, salt and pepper to your liking
- You can make the mixture ahead of time and refrigerate for a few days. Heat and roll when ready to serve
For side dish recipe ideas, check out:
Musakhan Rolls
Ingredients
- 3-4 full chicken legs
- 8-10 small onions
- ⅓ cup sumac + more for garnish
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt + more per preference
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil + more for pita bread
- 1 cup packed Parsley
- 3 x 8" Pita breads
Instructions
- Start by boiling the chicken legs with a bit of salt (other than amount listed).
- Once cooked, shred and de-bone the chicken (I use the broth to make soup on the side!)
- Slice the onions into thin wings and saute in the olive oil for 10-15 mins until soft and caramelized.
- Add the chicken and season with all the spices.
- Cook for a few minutes for flavors to combine - taste and adjust to your preference (I usually add more salt and like mine tart with lots of sumac).
- Chop parsley up and mix in.
- Take each pita bread piece and open them cross wise in one layer to make 2 pieces.
- Brush the outside of the pita with olive oil, add the filling, roll and place on a lined baking sheet with the seam side down.
- Repeat for all rolls then sprinkle them with more sumac.
- Bake for 5-7 mins until golden and crispy (broil if needed).
- Sprinkle with Parsley and Serve with salad or soup and enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use left over rotisserie chicken for this recipe
Comments
what oven temp do you use?
375F will do the trick!
thank you for your reply. i did 400 F i think and next day aat 420 for maybe 8-10 mins. it worked either way. i had made up a sort of shredded musakhan chicken using a shredded rotiserrie chicken and simmering with onions ans pice not knowing what i was doing and then saw this variation and wanted to try it. i cannot wait to make the chicken correctly- it will be even better.
The first time I made this, my husband was soooo impressed! He asked me to make it again the next day! It is one of my favourite on this blog!
I’m making this for lunch today and I’m so excited! Thanks for the easy to follow recipe!
So yummy!
Thank you!!